A Dash of Red
by wynnebat
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a family of Potters and a golden-haired boy who got it right on his third try. Scorpius/James, Scorpius/Albus, Scorpius/Lily.


Notes: General disclaimer on my profile, and I also don't own Goldilocks, which this story is loosely based off of. Written for the Favorite Genre Boot Camp. The prompt is cupidus, meaning eager, desirous. I used it as a general theme.

Beta'd by the lovely Exceeds Expectations, whose new Gabrielle/Ginny fic you should all totally check out.

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"Aaaaand there we have it, boys and girls! A 410 – 370 victory for Gryffindor after an astounding, nail-biting match. You all know who's going to be awarded the House Cup next month!"

Scorpius Malfoy, third year Slytherin and Chaser for his House's Quidditch team, scowled at the announcer as he flew the loop of shame around the pitch. Behind him, the rest of the Slytherin team soared single-file through the darkening skies, while ahead of him the Gryffindor team cheered in victory on their broomsticks and twirled pirouettes in the sky. Arses, the lot of them.

Near the middle of his loop, he passed his best friend Albus in the Slytherin stands, collecting bets and handing out Galleons to the lucky guessers.

Just in front of him, James Potter, Gryffindor Chaser, grinned back at him. "Good game, Malfoy! You didn't do too badly!"

"We would've won if we had a few more goals!" Scorpius yelled back. He slowed down as he reached the Gryffindor stands, giving James' and Albus' little sister a high five. She was a first year, and utterly adorable in her two ties: one red and gold, the other silver and green.

James looped back and around Scorpius, getting high fives from the people in the stands as though they were his due. James was a stupid, arrogant sod, Scorpius told himself. And the only reason Gryffindor won anything was because no one wanted to listen to James whine for weeks after losing.

Scorpius jumped onto the ground near the locker rooms, feeling woozy for the first few moments after a five-hour game.

James bumped shoulders with him in support, taking Scorpius' broomstick along with his own into the broom closet. The house-elves would polish the brooms and put them in their trunks by tomorrow morning.

"You did fly well," James repeated, patting the broomsticks fondly. "You're not a bad Chaser. Not quite Pucey, but..."

Scorpius scowled even harder. "No one's _ever _quite Pucey."

He'd replaced Aidan Pucey this year, and James was the last person he wanted to compare him with him. Pucey was a god of the Chaser position, and Scorpius was still his runner up. He'd never admit, but he was awed and jealous of James playing against Aidan Pucey his first year. Not that he wouldn't get better by next year and show James exactly what Malfoys could do.

"Wait until next year, when our players get more skill."

James turned around and ruffled his hair with a wide grin. "We'll still totally trounce you."

Scorpius knew that James was mostly friendly with him only because he was his brother's best friend, but it felt good that the older Quidditch player noticed him and gave him pointers. Not a lot, since they were on rival teams, but enough to say he noticed Scorpius' flying.

It was hard not to have a bit in awe of James Potter. Sure, he was an arse half the time and spent too long styling his hair in the morning, but he was one of the best Hogwarts Quidditch players since his father, who'd obviously passed down his skills. Scorpius reckoned that Al would be just as good, if he didn't insist on being more interested in the betting.

It helped to think of that when the Slytherin team had, for the second time this year, been pounded into the dirt by Gryffindor's.

They were close to the locker rooms when someone yelled, "Watch out!"

James, walking backwards, tripped on a lying broom. Scorpius grabbed James' arm to keep him from falling, but James' hand still in his hair caused them to topple over.

Eyes closed, he brought his head up to check the damage, and ended up meeting James' head with his own. Maybe his lips were number from the cold high-altitudes than he'd realized, because he didn't realize what happened at first. It wasn't James' ear or cheek he'd nicked with his lips, but his lips.

And then, eyes snapping open, he brought his face down, hitting his head against the ground again.

"Dammit," he said, allowing James to help him again. When they were both upright, James took back his helping hand as quickly as possible. Scorpius was blushing as red as the Gryffindor House crest, and James' face was oddly blank.

He couldn't quite figure what to do now that they'd both realized what had happened.

"Um," Scorpius began, and couldn't quite finish. "Sorry?"

"It's fine… Good game?" James asked.

Scorpius didn't mention what a total non sequitur that was. "Yeah, great one, terrific. Um." He couldn't help saying, "I guess that didn't happen?" Because despite the fact that it was an accident, it was his first kiss and everything.

James shrugged. "Yea—No. It did. It was just an accident."

Scorpius nodded in agreement, and they proceeded to talk about the Wronski Feint that Scorpius almost did all the way back to Hogwarts. Albus and Lily were waiting for him on the steps, and by then Scorpius almost felt normal.

Until he realized: Oh, Merlin, his first kiss was James Potter. What was he going to tell Albus?

In the end, he never did tell Albus, because the week later all the Slytherin third, fourth, and fifth years played Spin the Wand, and Scorpius was pushed into a closet for three minutes with _the _Melinda Greengrass. A much better first kiss by far.

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Two years later, Scorpius' first kiss was almost buried under long snogs from various girls, during which he figured out that despite his unfortunate first kiss, he was totally 100 percent straight.

"So how's your man-crush going?" Albus asked from the other end of the couch.

"It's not a man-crush," Scorpius replied, flipping open Quidditch Weekly and once again rereading the section on Aidan Pucey's Quidditch career. He still appreciated James Potter's talent, but he'd long since decided that Aidan Pucey was a better, more un-accidentally-reachable man-crush.

Albus reached over and pointed to the shirtless picture of Pucey zooming around the page. "C'mon. _That _is not the least bit gay?" Albus' voice sounded off to his ears, somehow too nervy for the teasing tone.

Scorpius rolled his eyes and flipped the magazine shut. "No, it's not. Because I'm not gay. Why are we even talking about this?"

He almost picked up his Charms book, thinking of actually doing a bit of schoolwork, but Albus' lack of answer made him look back. Albus always had an answer, especially when it came to making fun of someone.

"What, you're not going to say I'm compensating for something by dating all the Slytherin girls?"

Albus didn't answer, and instead looked anywhere else except at Scorpius. Scorpius followed his gaze around their little room. It was an abandoned room they'd found in their first year, a place they came to year after year to get away from the boys in their dorm. Their place at Hogwarts. And suddenly, instead of feeling at home, Albus looked like he wanted to be anywhere else.

"I was going to say…" Albus stopped for a moment, staring at Scorpius with his green eyes. "I'm bringing up gayness because I'm gay. Not in your man-crush way, but in the I want to date blokes way. Actually, kind of want to ask out a bloke for the next Hogsmeade weekend. Pince from Hufflepuff."

"Do you fancy him?"

"Yeah, I guess so. He's free, I'm free, we're not opposed to dating each other."

"Oh." He paused, trying to wrap his mind around Albus and Albus dating other boys. Albus had never been as crazy about girls as him, but he'd still dated Parkinson last year. "What changed? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know. Dammit, you're my best mate, but I'm just…"

Scorpius dropped the Charms book back on the floor and scooted closer to Albus, putting a hand on his shoulder in a not gay way. "We're still best mates. This—" he waved a hand as if to illustrate Albus' sexuality, then put it down when he realized how stupid it looked "—is fine. Really fine."

It was. And even if it wasn't fine, Scorpius would make it fine, because losing his best friend over something like this wasn't imaginable.

"Yeah? Thanks." A pause, then, "Now you just have to owl Pucey and ask him on a double date."

Scorpius snorted and pushed Albus away, and they were back to their easy rapport. He put his hand on the top of the couch and listened to Albus list all the reasons why the crazy double date would work, none of which were about Scorpius being actually straight.

He felt odd, seeing a blush on Albus' face, and actually noticing it was there. He'd never cared what Albus looked like. And then he realized he'd been in this situation before, sitting on a couch close to someone who might be into him. Just because Albus was gay didn't mean he'd be interested in him, but…

Albus was right there, quiet again as Scorpius moved closer a centimeter and Albus moved closer by two. He wasn't pulling away, didn't pull away even when Scorpius was too close to blow it off as an accident. In a flash of clarity, Scorpius wondered if Albus had feelings for him. Was that why he wasn't pulling away? Or was it for the same reason Scorpius finally closed the last centimeter between them: experimentation, wonder, curiosity.

It was okay, kissing a bloke, Scorpius decided after a moment. Albus' lips were thinner than he was used to, and his chin felt odd, but that wasn't bad. He tugged on Albus' green and silver tie, pulling them closer together, and was surprised when he didn't brush breasts.

"Here, like this," Albus murmured, switching their positions. Albus' hair smelled like the fire they'd made in Charms class a few hours ago, and he could almost smell a whiff of Albus' distinctive aftershave that must've caught on his robes that morning. He smelled like a guy. Not that Scorpius had smelled guys before. Nothing like Carrie or Jane. His arms were strong against him, his waist a bit trim.

Albus pulled away not a moment too soon, and Scorpius almost felt offended at the wince on his face. Almost, because he felt like wincing himself.

"Let's not do that again, okay?" Albus said, scooting back to his end of the couch. They were only touching at the legs now, and it felt like too much despite the contact being unavoidable between two tall guys.

Scorpius heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank Merlin. Because I've decided I'm pretty straight. Maybe 99 percent, because that wasn't bad, but not like…"

"You mean, your kiss with my brother didn't turn you gay?" Albus asked slyly.

"You know about that?" Scorpius yelped, recoiling a bit. No one was supposed to know about that. They'd been far enough from the team that no one saw, and it had been getting dark, anyway.

"Sure. You just told me. I only sort of thought so when you and James had that post-Spin the Wand type inability to look at each other."

Scorpius pinched his nose, trying to find a way to get James out of his mind. Especially his lips, which apparently were more chapped than Albus' were. And for a straight guy, Scorpius knew way too much about other guys' lips. Abandoning that train of thought, he said instead, "We're okay, right?"

"Yeah. It's cool. Just as long as you don't make it a full set and snog my sister. You'd actually like it, and I might have to kill you for it."

"No chance of that," Scorpius promised, even if Lily Potter was oddly pretty. He pulled out his Charms book again, feeling that all was once again right in the world. He and Albus were still friends, the sanctity and non-awkwardness of their room was assured, and he was still pretty much straight.

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All was right until the next morning, when he met Albus' sister for their weekly Ancient Runes tutoring. They found a comfortable corner table near the Ancient Runes section, and Scorpius was about to ask her what she was having trouble in, until Lily began speaking.

"So... You and my brother?" She trailed off, blushing a bit by the end.

"No. No, definitely not. Did he say something?" It was impossible that he'd said something. They had been together for the entire evening, and Albus even woken up for breakfast.

"Nah. I just walked past the abandoned classroom you two still pretend is your secret hideout."

Girls, Scorpius thought, sucked. "It's not our secret spot."

"I distinctly remember Al writing home first year and saying his super awesome best friend and he have found a secret base of operations. He even sketched the sign on the door: Potters and Malfoys only. No James allowed!"

Scorpius dropped his head on the table. "I was a Death Eater in my past life, wasn't I?"

"You were," James' familiar voice appeared, "Bellatrix Lestrange. That's why we're just waiting for you to announce your love of corsets." He dropped down into an empty chair. "What are we talking about?"

"James, what have I done to you in the past week?"

"Snogged my brother, for one. Gotten better at Quidditch too."

Oh, Merlin. Scorpius could already divine his future. By lunchtime that day, the rumor mill would probably paint him as a card-carrying hardcore homosexual who was dating both the Potter men. There wasn't even a way to keep James and Lily quiet, because as quintessential Gryffindors, they weren't able to keep juicy secrets for more than an hour.

Scorpius glared at Lily. "You're all in two different Houses. How the hell is it possible for you all to know already?"

"The same way I know you'll treat Al well, or else." Lily added in her own glare.

"And no cheating on him with Aidan Pucey, capiche?"

"I'm not dating Al!" he yelled, a bit too loudly, earning him a _shhh_ from the librarian and odd looks from students at nearby tables. "Shove off, will you?"

Scorpius rubbed his temples before turning back to Lily. As much as he liked the Potter family, they had a bad habit of being nosey gits.

"You guys really aren't dating?" Lily asked. Case in point.

Scorpius sighed, trying to take in her expression. She didn't look disgusted at seeing them together. That was good.

"No. Cross my heart. We just… tested a hypothesis, and that's it. You believe me, don't you, baby bear?" He wanted someone to believe him, but more than that, he wanted Lily to believe him. Not just because she was the last Potter sibling he hadn't snogged, but because he didn't want her thinking he was gay.

_You're an idiot, _he told himself.

And he felt like an even bigger, happier idiot when Lily said, "Yeah, I believe you."

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Two years later, James was still an idiot, Albus was still gay, but Lily had gone from being Albus' little sister to the only person he wanted to date.

So when he saw her sitting alone in a booth at the Three Broomstick's, he slid in across from her. "What are you doing on this lovely day?" he asked her.

Lily shrugged. "Avoiding James and Albus. James came for a visit, and all they want to talk about is how I should keep guys away from me until I'm at least twenty-five. Maybe older, if James had his way."

It wasn't the brightest thing to say, but Scorpius couldn't help saying, "You should. Really, if three people think so, I think it's a pretty great idea. Don't date."

Lily scowled. "What, am I your little sister too? Actually, don't answer that." She picked up her purse and cloak and stood up, leaving the table without him.

"Lily!" Scorpius called after her. He headed out of the Three Broomsticks, catching up to her at a jog. "I don't see you as a sister."

She turned around. "Of course not. You don't see me as anything, let alone…Why do I even bother? You're just a stupid guy, and you're closer to James and Albus anyway."

"Lily… of course you're something. You're…" he walked closer, resting his hands on her shoulders, feeling stupidly nervous in spite of the creeping sense of wonder that told him maybe his feelings weren't as unrequited as he'd thought. "Amazing. You are, you know. I'm not just saying that."

Lily's eyes turned down, and she said, "An amazing friend?"

Scorpius shook his head. "Never just a _friend_." And then he brought his lips to hers and found the perfect fit.

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Le sigh. I just wrote (mostly)straight!Scorpius. How did that happen? I was going to do it with Scorp/Bill and Fleur's kids (ScorpLouis ftw), but the Potters seemed like a better fit. Even if I did end up straight-ifying poor Scorp. I also used the accidental kiss trope. (Scorp, I'm sorry your life is such a cliché!)

Next up in the fairy tale retellings series: Harry/SleepingBeauty!Draco. I'm crossing my fingers for it to end before I hit 10k.

(Also: I very much did not use the phrase "snogged 'em all" in the summary. But I was so totally thinking it.)


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